The Two Shall Be As One Flesh

                                                         by Debby
(disclaimer: none of the magnificent 7 characters are mine, just borrowing them for fun)
 
 
 

Kara jogged briskly along the path that wound it's way through Four Corners Town Park. It was still early and though the sun was just breaking through the clouds there were a few runners already  hitting the path with her. Her focus.. Chris Larabee. Agent Chris Larabee to be exact. He ran at a much faster pace then she was even willing to,  but Kara prided herself in at least being able to keep him in her sights. She knew the man's schedule better then her own. It was her job to.

Larabee ran out his frustrations every morning. He nodded curtly to those who were sociable enough to acknowledge his presence at this early of an hour.  He wore a simple black jogging suit. His change of clothes in the truck parked a few hundred yards away. He'd shower and change at headquarters and still be the first one in the office. None on his team were known for their punctuality.

If the jogging path was to be pulled up and straightened into a oblong circle it would form the perfect high school track, but instead it dealt with trees and benches and bushes and gave the runners a cross country feeling .  Kara watched undaunted as Larabee circled and headed into a tight grouping of trees.    Normally she would keep pace and get him back into her sight as she exited the woods but today was different. It was contact day.  She felt her adrenaline start to pump as she entered the wooded area. She had an idea what was coming but the unexpectedness of it was part of her role. Her heart beat a little quicker with each step.

Suddenly from no where an arm was around her neck dragging her into the trees. Instinctively she let out a piercing scream and struggled against her assailant. Kicking at him she fought and struggled as he slammed her against a tree. A sharp blow across the face  stunned her for only a moment before she began screaming wildly again.   She fought and screamed for what felt like an eternity and then suddenly he was there.  The assailant was flung into an opposite tree. Kara looked up to see Larabee punching  the stranger and quickly hand cuffing him.

"you are under arrest scum" he hissed  throwing the man aside.  Other runners were approaching now. Larabee reached for her. "you okay lady?"

Kara shook uncontrollably as tears formed in her eyes.. Numbly she nodded.. "I I think so"  She looked like she was about to collapse.

"here, " protectively Chris put an arm around her and led her a few feet away from the  prone attacker. "let me just call this in and we'll get some one here to look you over."

"y-you're a cop? " she asked her voice little more then a whisper.

"kind of. " he pulled a cell phone out of the same zipper pocket he had pulled the hand cuffs. "Yeah, Larabee here, need a squad and ambulance at Four corners town park." Kara listened still shaking. " assault and battery looks like. Yeah victim appears okay but needs to make a statement and all. Yeah , uh huh, right. I'll be here."

Kara looked up her steel gray eyes meeting his deep blue ones.. "are you going to stay with me?" she asked

"Yes ma'am though I need to ask some questions too."

She nodded wiping a tear away. Already she heard the sirens approaching.  Larabee settled on the ground beside her.

"you sure you are all right ma'am."

She nodded , "it's Kara, Kara  Billings" she said

"Pardon? "

"my name, It's Kara Billings, in place of Ma'am." she smiled then winced and touched her cheek.

"Officer Larabee, " he grinned slightly "Chris Larabee."

The police were there then, sweeping her in one direction and him in the other. She was seen to by an ambulance crew but  assured them she was okay. She insisted that she was not going to the hospital.  She answered all their questions quickly and honestly.  Then she was free to go.

"you're gonna have a shiner I think." she jumped slightly at Chris' comment. "sorry I didn't mean to startle you. " inwardly he kicked himself at his insensitivity . The lady was just attacked, geez Chris . he thought.
"Thank you for coming to my rescue. " Kara smiled waving away his apology. " I don't know what I would have done if you.." her voice faded and her eyes clouded.

"Hey, it was nothing. You sure you are okay?"

She nodded "I will be"

"You have a way home? " He asked concern thick in his voice.

"My car is in the parking lot."

"let me walk you." without waiting for a reply he took her by arm and started toward the parking area. "you know if you find you need anything , please don't hesitate to go into the hospital, or even the police station.  "

"will you be there? "she asked looking again into his blue eyes.

He ran a hand through his blond hair and grinned.

"no, Ma'am..I mean Kara"he corrected at her look "I don't work out of the police station, but"

"this is my car." she interrupted stopping in front of a average looking early 90's ford .  He stopped and opened the door for her and helped her in.

"but , " he continued blocking her ability to close the door. "if you need to reach me for ANY reason."he emphasized the any "here is my card."  He handed her a small white business card. She put it  in the  drink tray  and turned back to him.

"thank you again. Mr. Larabee."

"Chris." he corrected.

"Chris." she smiled.

He nodded and stepped away from the door. Making sure she was all in he closed the door and stepped back from the car. With a wave  he headed for his truck. He was very late and the guys were either gonna be worried or gonna be more then willing to give him a hard time. Most likely the latter. He smiled as he thought of his Team of  Agents. The Magnificent 7 they were nicknamed by the other ATF teams. They worked well together and their friendships bonded them as family instead of just coworkers.  Starting his truck he shifted into gear.. Yeah, he was gonna hear it from them for being late.

Kara watched as Chris pulled away  and smiled to herself. She touched her face and winced cursing under her breath. Gracefully she picked up the white card and flipped it over. In plain black letters it read Chris Larabee and two phone numbers  where he could reached.  She ran her finger tip over his name and laughed softly.
"and so it begins."
 

Part 2

Chris entered the familiar suite of offices after stopping only for a quick shower and change at the gym.

"Bout time" Buck Wilmington boomed before the door had even closed behind him.
"Yeah Chris! What's that you are always s saying? "J.D. asked grinning.."oh yeah, You're late." he mimicked hi boss' voice flawlessly and burst into laughter with his partner.

Chris debated acting upset but just shook his head, as J.D. and Buck continued to laugh.  The partners were certainly a perfect match he thought wryly. He never imagined that his oldest friend would become so attached and protective of the youngest member of the team But when J.D.. Dunne had come aboard the two had become  virtually inseparable. Some days Chris wondered what kind of monster he had created.

"Kid has a point there." Josiah unfolded himself from his chair and stood to his full towering height.

"everything alright? " the big man questioned.

"fine" Chris said simply and headed into his office. Opening the door he found his best friend Vin Tanner standing at the window. He turned when Chris entered.

"where the hell have you been?" he asked

"got delayed."

"so we noticed. you alright?"

"I'm fine."Chris grinned. "Ya'll seem a bit paranoid."

Vin smiled back. "Naw, you are just so predictable. Wanted to make sure the cat didn't attack you again." he added sarcastically.

Chris grimaced. "Everyone here?" he flipped through a bunch of files on his desk looking for the one he wanted. "we need to go over the plans for the Desmond case."

"Yep all here. Nathan and Ezra are about somewhere, I'll get everyone together."

Chris sank into his chair and turned slightly so he could look out the window.  His mind wandered a moment to the woman he'd met earlier.  Kara Billings. He closed his eyes and a perfect picture of her formed in his mind.  Her light brown hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. Her spandex running suit clinging to her well shaped body.  The fear in her eyes.

"Chris? You coming?" Vin's voice snapped him back to the present.

"on my way." he grabbed the case file and followed Vin to the conference room.

************************************************************************
Kara knocked once on the door and waited until she heard the muffled command to enter.

"How did it go? " Jack Desmond sat behind his large oak desk. He looked up and raised an eyebrow.

"I'd say it was persuasive to say the least." Kara waved a hand toward her face.

"Well, it needed to be authentic. Larabee is a suspicious man. " Desmond's voice held no apology.  "here sit down." he motioned to a large leather chair. Kara sank into it's depths.  "you want a drink?" He asked.

"no thank you."

"so .. you made contact then?" He rose and came around the desk perching on the corner.

"definitely. Gave me his business card and everything." She smiled.

"alright, You now what to do from here. No more direct contact with me unless you are summoned." she nodded listening carefully.  "now, I know that Larabee must have one of his men on the inside and as much as it pains me to admit. I can't tell who it is." Desmond's eyes clouded as he continued. "you need to get as close to Larabee as possible and find out who his inside man is. I'm counting on you. I don't want to be set up in one of their elaborate stings. This deal is way to important."

"what's the deal? " Kara asked
"that you don't need to know. your only concern is watching Larabee and finding out who he has on the inside. You understand?"

"Yes sir." Kara rose to go.

Jack stood and opened a drawer in his desk . He tossed her a pager and an envelope of cash.

"this is your contact for now. Do not come back here, and Kara?" he stopped her as she turned to go.  "don't underestimate Chris Larabee."

Kara smiled sweetly. "don't underestimate me Jack."
*****************************************************************

Chris looked around the conference table, letting his agents get settled.  To his right sat Vin , Josiah and Nathan. On his left Ezra, Buck and J.D.

"Alright, Ezra, you have a report?" He asked handing the floor over to the well dressed southerner.

"I do indeed. " Ezra smiled and began" Desmond is getting closer to making the trade. I know now it's definitely a matter of drugs for guns but as of yet I have not acquired the exact date of the supposed exchange."

"your cover?" Chris asked.

"solid as a rock my friend."

"all right. Since you can tell it's coming  I want you in full time. No more reporting to the office. Send your reports encrypted emails etc. You know the drill. Let us know the minute, the minute you have a date. and keep your hide safe."

"understood"

"the rest of you get on the research and surveillance. J.D. you're on the computer, you get me everything Ezra sends in A.S.A.P.  I don't want any thing screwing up this take and I would prefer if we could all make an effort to stay out of the hospital this round."

Knowing grins were exchanged over the later comment. Since the start of the team all of them had managed at  least one hospital stay.

"we set?" Chris asked giving the opportunity for questions. "all right then " he continued when no one spoke " we've prepared  well for this. Like I told Ezra, keep your hides safe. Let's get to work."  Meeting adjourned they all started bantering once again.

"so Chris you gonna tell us why you were so late this morning?" Nathan asked following his boss out of the conference room.

"made an arrest."

"who did you arrest?" J.D. asked excitement filling his voice, "what happened."

'Nothing, jogger got attacked and I stepped in is all." Chris down played the event.

"looks like whoever it was is mighty appreciative of your heroic intervention." Ezra drawled .

"what are you talking about?" Chris asked. Ezra motioned to Chris's desk. Through the open door Chris saw a huge bouquet of flowers.

"ooohhhh hhoo" Buck hooted. "got yourself an admirer?" the others couldn't help but laugh. Chris shot Buck a look that didn't succeed in shutting him up.  He entered his office and looked at the bouquet.  There was a card.

"who's it from Chris? the person you saved?" J.D. asked It was then Chris realized that the 6 had followed him into his office.

"don't you people have work to do?"

"not at the moment" J.D. grabbed for the card but a look from Chris stopped him. He grinned sheepishly.

"alright."Chris knew he wouldn't get any peace if he didn't clear this up now."It was a lady I helped this morning, and that's all the info you're getting. Now get out and get to work."  Once he had regained his privacy he closed the office door and opened the card.

"Chris,
Please allow me to buy you dinner as an expression of my gratitude.
I'll be at the Riviera, 7pm, please come.
       Kara"
A gentle hint of perfume drifted up from card and Chris held it closer to his face inhaling.

"I shouldn't go." he thought but there was no number to call her and cancel. He couldn't' bear the thought of her sitting alone waiting for him.  He would go tonight but only get a drink and let her know that this was all unnecessary.

Part 3

Kara sipped at a glass of wine and smiled as she saw Chris enter the restaurant. He was dressed in a well fitted black suit.  She made a soft purring sound "you so look fine in black mr. Larabee." she thought to herself.  He caught her gaze then and smiled.

"Thank you for coming." She rose to greet him as he approached the table.

Chris grinned "You're welcome." his rehearsed speech of not being able to stay for dinner faded out of his mind as he looked at her.  She was wearing a simple black slip dress, her hair loose about her shoulders. Her make-up had been applied with great care he noted in an attempt to cover as much of the obvious bruising as possible.  Realizing he was just standing there he came to his senses and held her chair for her as she gracefully sat down.

"I didn't know if you would come. " she said as he sat across from her.

"How could I refuse such an offer?"

"Just my way of saying thank you again for coming to my rescue.  I don't know what I would have.." her voice broke and she looked down..

"Hey." Chris reached for her hand." No need to dwell on what might have happened. " he said quietly" the guy is locked up now and you are safe."  Kara nodded meeting his gaze.

"you're right." she smiled weakly then let her gaze fall on their hands. Chris pulled his hand away slowly but self consciously.  "Ease up Larabee" he thought, chiding himself for his uncharacteristic reactions to this woman.  Kara was nonplussed by the episode.

"shall we order dinner? " she asked.

The evening passed quickly then. Chris enjoyed the conversation. Kara was an intriguing woman. He listened as she told him about her secretarial job at a nearby insurance company and how her co-workers had an ongoing war of practical jokes and pranks to break the boredom of the work week. She laughed as she told him about the latest joke that she had set  up.  Chris smiled as her eyes danced. He realized then that she couldn't be much older then J. D.

"Hey,"Kara stopped suddenly "I've totally monopolized the conversation here, tell me about yourself."

"I'm not nearly as interesting or entertaining. " Chris grinned.

"I doubt that! You have to be exciting. Look what you did this morning. Do you do stuff like that all the time? Are you a cop?"

"yeah sort of." Chris evaded. Kara's eyes filled with curiosity and then she grinned mischievously.

"Ooooh, I get it. You work for one of those.." she leaned forward lowering her voice to a whisper.  "organizations that you could tell me about  but then you'd have to kill me right?"
Chris laughed at her antics. "yeah that's it. " he said.

"In that case. I don't' want to hear about any of it!!" she pretended to look intimidated.
Chris laughed again.

As they finished their desserts Chris realized from the conversation that Kara had taken a cab earlier.

"Can I offer you a ride home then? " he asked when she refused to let him pay for anything.

"sure, if you are positive it's not a problem."

"no problem at all." he reassured helping her into a light evening coat.

"Hope you don't mind my truck." Chris said as the valet pulled the Dodge around.  Kara grinned.

"Nope, I 've always found trucks a little sexy." she said as he helped her into the cab.   Chris raised an eyebrow and closed the door. Running his fingers through  his hair he wondered what he had gotten himself into.

Kara looked around inside the truck as Chris tipped the Valet and went around to the driver's side.  There was a pile of file folders on the seat, on top of them was a framed picture. She picked it up for a closer look. It was a group of men in various fishing outfits. She spotted Chris immediately.  There was a double of the picture on that has been under the framed one. Quickly she thrust the double into one of her coat pockets.

"who are the guys in this picture with you? " she asked as Chris climbed in beside her.

"Some close friends." he said as they pulled out. Street lights illuminated the picture , in brief flashes. Kara set it back on top of the files.

"Looks like you had a lot of fun. Do you enjoy fishing? "

"I enjoy it but never have much luck with it. " Chris' voice picked up a serious tone as he remembered the trouble of that trip.

Kara let the subject drop and began giving Chris directions to her apartment  Once there he insisted on walking her in.

"Thank you again for everything." Kara said nervously once they had reached her door.

"my pleasure."

"would you like to come in for a drink? " she knew he would say no.

"No thank you, I need to be getting home. I'll see you tomorrow though." he added reminding her of their meeting at the police station.

"I'll be there. Good night Chris.."

"Good night." he leaned forward then and gently kissed her cheek careful to avoid her bruises. "thank you for a pleasant evening." he turned and walked away.

Kara entered her apartment, kicked off her shoes and ran to the window. She watched as he walked out to the truck and climbed in. Once he was out of sight Kara flipped on a light. She pulled the picture out of her pocket and looked at it closely. She was positive this was Larabee's ATF team. She had heard Jack refer to them as the Magnificent 7 before.

"You certainly are magnificent." she said aloud touching Chris' face.  She walked over to a large cork bulletin board on her wall. It was covered with pictures of Chris. Some taken of him in the park, in his truck, on the street. Sometimes there were others with him but mostly he was alone. Newspaper clippings were interspersed among the shots.  Kara took the new picture of the team and pinned it in the center of the board.

"Now." she sighed twirling a strand of  hair around her fingers. "which one of you boys here is working for Jack?" She asked as she glanced over every man, memorizing their build, coloring and finally focusing solely on their faces.
Part 4

Ezra Standish was now Evan Brooks and focused himself into character.  Knocking lightly on the ornate wooden door he entered without waiting for a response.

"morning Evan." Jack Desmond sat at his desk going over yet another pile of paper work.

"morning Jack." the southerner drawled. "brought you your morning coffee."

"thank you." he waved for Ezra to set it on the desk.

"How is it going? " Ezra asked sitting in  a nearby chair.

"It's about all set." Jack sipped his coffee and smiled. "ahhh the day is never right without that first cup of coffee."  Ezra grinned and nodded his agreement. "I've heard from the Smiths " Jack continued laughing.. "you'd think a family so involved in illegal arms would have a more creative name. "he said distractedly.. "anyway, I need you to run some errands and help get some things ready. "

'Fine, " Ezra nodded "where is the exchange going to take place?"

"Ware house 7 at Desmond Enterprises. David's already getting the 'details' ready"

"When will this happen? "

"Soon."

"Alright then. What do you want me to do first?"

"Well  first, "Jack frowned." First I need to talk to you about something I'm very concerned about. " Ezra waited for him to continue.

"Have you ever heard of a Chris Larabee?"  Ezra careful to show no reaction to his boss' name.

"not that I recall. Why do you ask?" Inside his head alarms were blaring.  'is my cover blown? ' he wondered.

"He's a local ATF man. Has a pretty good team under him. I think he has a man on the inside."

"Inside?" Ezra showed genuine concern.

Jack sighed and tossed a pen onto the desk. "Yeah, I have no idea if it's one of my men or one of  Smith's . Call me paranoid but.. " he paused a moment. " I just wanted to warn you to keep your ears and eyes open. Whoever he is  he is good. " He picked up a paper from the desk and handed it to Ezra. "here's  what I need done from you today. I'll page you if anything else comes up. "  Ezra nodded and rose to go.

"Keep me informed Evan."

"I will."   With the office door closed behind him Ezra paused a minute to collect himself. " I need to let Chris know what's happening." he thought "and keep my cover safe at the same time." This was one job he'd worked hard on and did not want anything to mess it up.  He knew the guys were depending on him for information.   He just hoped they knew he was depending on him to get him out of this mess if it went awry.
***************************************************************************

"Chris!! " J. D. shouted from his desk "Chris!"

"what are you shouting about kid ? " Buck asked rubbing his ears.

"we have word from Ezra!" J. D. was excited.

"what does he say? " Chris asked coming out of his office.  Vin, Josiah and Nathan hovered near by to hear what was going on.

"It says. ' ware house 7 Desmond enterprises , day and time to come. Desmond suspicious. So far so good, being careful. Ez' "J.D. read out loud.

"Damn" Chris' anger flared. He didn't want to have to worry  about Ezra's cover but it sounded shaky, and it was way to late to pull him out now with out scraping the whole case.

"he's being real cautious." Nathan pointed out the unusually short message.

" I  just hope he can get us the day and time." Vin commented.

"he'll get it." Chris said.

"We already know he's dealing with the Smiths." Josiah said. "Nathan and I will look into their activity. See what else we can find out. "

"Go " Chris nodded. "be ready for anything." he added knowing they would be. They had all worked for months on this case.  "Damn. " he swore again. " I gotta go to the police station. "

"Why? " Vin asked.

"Filing a report on yesterday morning.  Meeting Kara there. "

"Kara is it? " Buck asked grinning.

"Yeah it is.. Now get to work. J. D. call me if there is anything else from Ezra. "

"yes sir." J. D. grinned but wisely remained silent about Buck's comment on Kara.

"I'm tagging along." Vin said.

Chris nodded and headed for the door.
*********************************************************

Kara entered the police station nervously. She wasn't sure if she was hyped up about the interview or seeing Chris again. Maybe both. She spotted him in the hallway immediately. There was someone with him though . She immediately recognized the man as one of the agents on the fishing trip.

"Kara, how are you this morning? " Chris asked as she approached.

"A bit nervous  I guess. " She looked from Chris to Vin.

"This is my friend Vin Tanner." Chris introduced them.

"Nice to meet you." Kara murmured taking Vin's outstretched hand. Vin nodded. "nice to meet you too ma'am."

Kara smiled at the Ma'am. Vin Tanner. Well now  she could match one face and name together.  Vin watched Kara as she interacted with Chris. It was obvious even to him that she was very interested in His boss. He wondered if Chris even had a clue.   Chris led Kara into one of the offices where they would be interviewed about the day before just to clear up anything the police needed information on. Vin knew it was very routine but could understand Kara's nervousness. It didn't take long and soon Chris and Kara were back in the hall with him.

"Chris? can I ask you a favor? " Kara broached the subject hesitantly as they were stepping outside the building.

"sure."

" well, i was wondering.. I want to keep running but. um.. well. I'm not sure how easy it's gonna be to go .. alone. I was wondering if you would want to run together in the mornings? Since you run there anyway and all.. " her voice trailed off as she looked at him.

"Yeah, that would be fine. "Chris nodded." I mean there are days I don't make it but.. I'd be happy  to run with you."

"you would? oh thank you. I mean it won't be forever.. just until I kind of get my courage up again you know. but.. thank you.!" She gave him a quick hug and started toward her car. "oh and it was nice to meet you Mr. Tanner." she called back.

Chris looked at Vin to find him grinning. "Don't even start."  he muttered as they climbed into the truck.

"What? I was just thinking what a gentleman you are is all. " Vin tried not to laugh.

" oh shut up." Chris growled pulling out into traffic.
"what's this?" Vin picked up the framed picture that Chris had forgotten to take into the office.
"something for the office, there's a double there if you want it."
"I don't see one"  Vin looked through the stack of files.
"huh, thought for sure it was there, "Chris glanced quickly as he tried to keep an eye on the road. "must have left it at the ranch."
**************************************************
Kara collapsed onto her couch and laughed out loud. It had been a wonderful day! She had  spent most of it following her trip to the police station in front of the computer trying to match identities of the agents. She knew Chris and Vin Tanner now and that helped. She hadn't found much but she had gotten all their names and was pretty sure from what she had to go on that she could match the rest of the names and faces.  She hoped anyway.  As if Jack could read her thoughts her pager began to beep. She checked the number but didn't recognized. "wonder who it is" she thought picking up the phone.

"hello?" she didn't recognize the voice.

"this is Kara, you paged me?"

"Yes, Jack asked me to call and check on your progress." whoever he was he had a charming accent.
"who are you?" her curiosity got the best of her.
"this is Evan Brooks, I work for Jack, obviously."

"Obviously," Kara smiled "Sorry I just didn't recognize your voice. Jack hasn't introduced my to all of his associates yet."

"I can imagine."

"Tell Jack I'm still working on it. He'll know what I mean."

"He seemed anxious for your information."

"Yeah, tell him not to worry." she hung up quickly to avoid any more questions.

Ezra pressed the end button on his cell phone and wondered  what information Jack was after from this woman. He couldn't dwell on it at the moment though. He was needed at the warehouse and hoped he could get some idea of when this thing was going down. More then anything his main concern was not letting the team down.
 
 
 
 

Part 5

Kara woke up early  excited about her run with Chris.  Smiling she slipped on a sweatshirt and hurried to the living room.  She pulled the picture of Chris' team off the bulletin board and scurried back to the warmth of her bed.  She couldn't seem to tear herself away from the picture. Running each face through her memory one more time. Strange though, when she focused on one man, she seemed to see them all. It was like they were a single being. Tracing her finger lightly over Chris she moved to Vin. There was a definite connection there. She had felt it when they were at the police station.

"Damn" she flopped back onto her pillow. "if I reveal Chris' man to Jack.." she looked at the picture again. It would be like betraying Chris, but if she didn't.." Jack will kill me." she whispered.

An hour later Kara was getting out of her car. Chris was already there, she had seen his truck when she pulled in.  She spotted him immediately warming up . The morning sun seemed to turn his light hair to gold.  He saw her and waved.

"morning Kara, how are you doing?"

"Okay, ready to run. "she grinned as she started stretching. "I hope I don't slow you down to much."

"Don't worry about it , ready?"

She nodded and they started out on the path.  Chris knew he should be focusing more on Kara but his mind was completely caught up in the Desmond case.  There had been no word from Ezra since the email giving them the location of the deal.  Josiah, Nathan and Vin  where already setting up in the area while Buck and J.D. covered the communications. Now all that was left was to wait.  He hated waiting, hated worrying about the team but couldn't seem to help it.  He noticed suddenly that Kara had slowed down.

"you okay?" he turned towards her jogging backwards.  Kara nodded but looked ahead. They were about to enter the wooded area where she had been grabbed. She was surprised that she felt real hesitation, it was almost fear.

"Hey come on, you are safe with me. " Chris took her hand and gently pulled her along, squeezing reassuringly as they entered the woods.  They made it through without stopping and Kara felt her fear fading. She could do this. She could do anything with Chris Larabee by her side.  She smiled genuinely at Chris to let him know that she was fine and let go of his hand so he could run at his own speed. He hadn't gotten more then ten feet in front of her when her beeper went off. It was Evan's number again. Must be Jack wanted something,  she didn't know how to tell him she didn't know who was undercover yet.

"Chris!" She called after him. He stopped short and ran back his eyes filled with concern.

"sorry to cut this short,"she apologized" I have to go, an emergency must have come up at work." she motioned to her pager.
"okay."

"thank you for this morning" she stepped closer and Chris thought she was going to hug him again. Instead she put her arms around his neck, entwined her fingers in his hair and pulled him in to kiss her. Caught off guard he didn't have time to even pull away before she turned and ran to her car leaving him staring after her. His mind shattered for a moment."what the hell? " he wondered. Before he could think about it more his phone rang.

"Larabee."he answered

"Just got word form Ezra." it was J.D. and he was virtually yelling. "the trade is happening in less then two hours!"

"I'll meet you there. Get everyone in position." he commanded. He swore as he ran to his truck. They were cutting it too close. God he hoped Vin, Josiah and Nathan were inside the warehouse already.

*****************************************

Kara called Evan from her car.  "Evan? What is happening?"

"The deal is going through and Jack wants you there."

"makes sense, where?"

"You're to meet me at Jack's place "

"I need to change quick but I'll be there in twenty."

"I'll be waiting out front."

Kara broke a few traffic laws on the way home, showered, changed and was on her way out the door in record time.  She paused only a minute to look again at the bulletin board.  She scanned each face on more time though she knew them all by heart.

"What do I do Chris?" she whispered as she closed the apartment door and headed for her car.  She knew if Chris had a man inside Jack's operation she would spot him as soon as she walked in. That was the whole reason Jack insisted on her being there.
 

Part 6

Ezra paced the front steps of Jack Desmond's house/mansion.  He was nervous about this case. The team had planned well but the was feeling antsy. Something wasn't right. If Desmond found out who he was  he'd be dead in and instant, not to mention it would screw up the whole sting.   He turned at the sound of a car and took a deep breath. He was a conman at heart, this should be the easy part of the job for him.  Descending the steps he  watched as the beautiful woman got out of her car.  Her only flaw was the fading bruise clearly visible on her cheek.

"I'm Evan,  you must be Kara, ready to go? "

Kara looked at the sharply dressed man and froze as her eyes met his. Her heart stopped as she just stared.

"Are you alright?" Ezra couldn't imagine what was wrong. She almost looked like she was seeing a ghost or something.

"I'm fine, sorry  just you look like someone I know." she recovered. "nice to meet you , Evan."

"The pleasure is mine my dear, "he motioned to the waiting car "shall we?"

The driver opened the door for them, Kara climbed in first. "this is it " she thought"this is Chris' man. Now what? I could want him but then Jack would kill us both. "her options spun through her mind managing only to confuse her further.  The car phone rang and Ezra answered it.

"Brooks, yeah, we're on are way.  Yes "he looked at Kara" here she is."he handed her the phone mouthing that is was Jack.

"Hello Jack."

"Kara what have you got?"

"not a lot I can go into now." Jack missed the implication.

"You know all Larabee's men?"

"Yes sir."

"You'll be able to identify any of them on sight?"

"Definitely."

"good, that's what I'm paying you for."he hung up abruptly. Kara handed the phone back to Ezra. He took it wondering what role this woman played in the game.  She smiled at him and looked out the window. "not much of a conversationalist" he thought to himself.

The car came to a stop and Ezra extended his hand to help Kara from the car.  He moved forward to enter the warehouse scanning the surrounding area for any sign of Chris or the team. His attention was drawn back to Kara when she didn't let go of his hand.

"What is it?" he asked concerned by her expression.

Kara couldn't believe she was doing this. "no matter what happens in there" she paused making sure she had his complete attention."please trust me. "her eyes seemed to plead with him.

"what are you talking about?" Ezra confused for a minute. He saw the driver come around the car and hand Kara a gun. She reached for the weapon not taking her eyes off Ezra's  "trust me" she mouthed. Out loud she said.

"You know what I'm talking about, Ezra. Where is Larabee?"

Ezra's eyes grew wide as he looked from her to the driver. "oh shit" he thought "it's over."

"I assure you I have no idea what or who you are referring to." he tried to stall.

"You heard the lady." the massive driver stepped forward but Kara raised a hand to stop him.

"Easy Frank. I'll handle this.  Search him please."

Frank roughly pushed Ezra against the car and searched him. After removing three guns he shoved the agent back towards Kara. "Stay out here" she directed "you," she waved the gun at Ezra "inside."

Her voice was cold but her previous words were echoing through his head. Could he really trust her or was she just trying to throw him off.  Inside the ware house Jack's men were waiting. Jack approached them immediately.

"Evan, Kara you finally.." he stopped mid statement at the sight of Kara's drawn gun.

"What is going on?" he asked his eyes darkening. "Kara?"

"This is your ATF agent Jack. Mr. Ezra Standish I'm thinking."

"You?" Jack's eyes narrowed as he stepped close to Ezra. "you looked me  in the eye and fed me a load of shit."he glared

"You said I was good."Ezra shrugged sarcastically.  Jack lashed out striking him before Ezra had the chance to brace himself. He stumbled and would have gone down if Kara hadn't grabbed his arm and held him upright.

"Jack!" her voice was tight.

"I'm gonna kill the bastard." He struck Ezra again causing his nose to begin to bleed.

"Jack wait!" Kara protested "if Larabee is here wouldn't you need him  as a hostage? You never know."she reasoned. "if the deal goes bad, then you can kill him." Jack looked from her to Ezra and back again.

"Fine but you keep that gun on him and if he so much as sneezes you shoot him." he turned and stomped away  yelling at his men. The Smith's were arriving and it was to late to cancel the deal . If the ATF were here there was going be a fight.

Kara looked at Ezra. "over there" she said motioning in the direction she meant.

"How about over there?"he motioned to a different area of the warehouse.

"why?"

"less likely to get shot there" he smiled slightly.

"alright, "she nodded. "go."
 

Part 7

Vin had seen the commotion and Desmond's fit but didn't' see Ezra until he and Kara moved to a safer spot.

"Damn" he swore into his wire.
"What is it Vin?"Chris asked from his spot behind a stack of crates.

"They've got Ezra."

"No!"

"aw hell." Buck groaned looking over at Nathan to see if he had heard. He had.

"That's not the worst of it Boss"Vin added not knowing how to break this to Chris.

"Is he hurt?" Chris felt his insides lurch and wished he could see for himself but any movement and he'd be revealed.

"Doesn't look like it, not bad anyway, maybe a bloody nose.. but. it's Kara."

"What about her?"

"no Chris, Kara has Ezra. Holding a gun on him."Vin explained dreading the reaction he'd get.
"What?" Chris was trying to process the information.

"She has a gun on him, she 's working for Desmond."

"Shit!" The truth hit him like a bullet. He knew at once that he had been set up from the beginning. "damn damn damn !"his anger steeped to a new level. Now because of his gullibility Ezra was in danger and to get out of this mess he was going to have to but the rest of his team in a more precarious position then they already were in.  "Damn!"

"Chris?" Josiah's voice was calm and concerned.

"I'm focused  Preacher" Chris acknowledged him "Once they make the exchange we go on my mark. I'll get Ezra"he growled.
**************************
:"What are you going to do?" Ezra dared to look at Kara. She was obviously torn about what to do next. She looked at him, the gun then at Jack. She shook her head.

"I don't know." she whispered watching the as Jack handed Lance Smith a briefcase full of cocaine.

"you can give me the gun."Her eyes snapped to his, he watched as she  mulled  it over for  a minute. He could shoot her.  She thought, he was definitely going to arrest her if he had the gun. But at the same time she knew he was right.  If he didn't have a weapon Jack would be sure to kill him . She nodded slightly  as there was a sudden shout.

"FREEZE ATF!!!"

Startled she didn't know what to do. The room seemed to explode into chaos. She heard  Jack yelling at her. His men  opened fire on  ATF agents that were popping out of nowhere.  Meeting Ezra's gaze he nodded and she reached out handing him the gun.
***************************

When the shooting started Chris zeroed in on Ezra. It took him a second to find him  and he watched terrified as Kara raised the gun. Without hesitating he aimed and fired.

Kara screamed as the bullet ripped into her shoulder. Ezra caught her as she collapsed and lowered her to the ground grabbing the gun.  "you'll be fine darling" he reassured and turned to join the fray.

Chris saw Kara go down and Ezra take her gun then he focused on the sting.  Within minutes they had Desmond and Smith in handcuffs.

"You okay Ez?"he asked  as the dust began to settle.  Vin walked by leading two of the dealers out.

"we got em all Cowboy." he told Chis and  nodding  at Ezra acknowledging that he was glad he was okay. Ezra grinned then turned and headed over to Kara. Chris followed.  He watched dismayed as Ezra knelt beside Kara and began to apply pressure to her shoulder. She cried out as he did.

"Sorry but I gotta do this"
Chris looked at him incredulous. "what are you doing? she was about to shoot you!"

"I wasn't going to shoot him." Kara protested in a hoarse whisper. She couldn't believe how much her shoulder hurt. "you told me we wouldn't get shot here. " She said accusingly to Ezra.  Chris frowned at her and looked at Ezra.

"she was handing me the gun Chris."to Kara he smiled "I said less likely." Ezra stood back to let the paramedics in. Chris's expression remained cold.

"you're under arrest " he told her once they had gotten her onto the stretcher. She nodded opening her eyes to look at him. "you have the right to remain silent. "

"I can't believe you shot me. " she whispered.

His eyes flashed fiercely as  he leaned close so that he was right next to her ear. She felt the warmth of his breath as he responded " I can't believe you fucking set me up." . Kara closed her eyes as he stood to his full height and continued reciting her miranda rights.

Part  8

"So she was the chick you saved at the park?" Buck asked as Vin was unlocking Kara's apartment. They  had gotten a search warrant to look for evidence relating to the case.

"The whole thing was a set up so drop it, everybody." Chris shot a look of warning to the rest of his men. J.D. bit back a question.

"Got it" Vin opened the door and entered the apartment.

"Do you think it's rigged at all? " J.D. asked.

"No, I think she planned on coming back." Josiah patted the kid on the shoulder and glanced around.

"Chris? I think you need to see this. " Nathan was standing in front of a large bulletin board.

"What?"

"Oh my God" Vin whispered.

They stood in shocked silence looking at the board. Trying to take it in.  "These pictures were taken four months ago!" J.D. pointed to a couple of shots of Chris and him together.

"I'm thinking you got yourself more then just an admirer there Chris." Buck flipped up one of the newspaper clippings to reveal another picture of Chris underneath.

"This picture." Chris pointed to the blown up shot in the center of the board.  "the fishing trip, she took the double from my truck. " he glanced at Vin.

"This is just a color copy, I wonder where the print is?" Nathan fingered the corner of the paper gingerly.

"Gentlemen?" Ezra was coming out of  the bedroom, he was pale. "that is only the beginning. "
Chris was the first one into the bedroom but stopped so short it was all Vin could do not to knock him over.

"Holy Shit " he whispered slowly moving so that the rest of  the team could enter .  The entire room had been papered with poster sized blow ups of the fishing trip photo.

"God, she even did the ceiling!" Buck gasped pointing up .

" I need to get out of here. "Vin turned and left the room.

"Who are you calling?" Chris asked as Nathan pulled out his cell phone.

"The hospital, I think they better get her moved to the psychiatric ward now."
************************************************************
Kara smiled as she watched the doctor close her door. He had just tried so hard to be calming and gentle as he explained they were going to move her to a new wing of the hospital.  Careful not to jar her injured shoulder she reached under her pillow and pulled out a small envelope.  She dumped the contents on her lap and  gently unfolded the creased photo.  "They think I'm crazy Chris" she whispered." did you tell them that? " She touched his face and then ran her hand over each of the other men.  Setting the photo down she picked up a small piece of metal.  She had been surprised that the surgeon had readily agreed to give her the bullet he had removed from her shoulder. She figured it was suppose to be evidence or something but maybe he just wasn't well informed. She rolled the bullet over in her hand feeling it's coldness. Ironic, it had felt like fire.  She smiled. "I'll keep it forever." she thought "as a reminder, a gift" she looked at the picture again.  "a gift from Chris.
*************************************************
Chris' phone rang jarring him from his pile of paperwork. They were all working late trying to get the case wrapped up.

"Larabee?"
In the outer office Ezra and Vin looked up from their work as Chris began shouting.

"what's going on?" J.D. asked as Nathan and Josiah  stood up. Buck shrugged and looked concerned.  Chris continued  to yell then they heard the phone hit the wall. It was quiet for a moment then Chris came to the door of his office and looked at them.  He was seething but there was fear in his eyes as well.

"Kara's gone."

"Gone?" Ezra choked "she's dead?"
"No, she disappeared. " Chris punched the door as another wave of anger swept over him." she escaped."

"How?" Josiah asked.

"They don't know! They were transferring her and in the midst of it she just walked away!"

"Damn, do they have any idea where she was headed?" Vin asked his voice filled with concern as he flashed back to Kara's apartment.  Chris just shook his head then looked up as someone entered the offices.

"I have a delivery for.." the boy checked his clipboard "Chris Larabee?" he waited as the seven agents just stared at him.  "Is one of you Mr. Larabee?  These are for you."  He held up a bouquet exactly like the one Kara had sent to Chris inviting him to dinner.

Chris snapped out of his shock. "yeah, right here."

The boy handed him the flowers and a normal sized card envelope instead of a small one. "this goes with them."

Chris set the flowers on the nearest desk and opened the card.

"From her?" Vin asked looking  over his shoulder.
Chris nodded "shit." A snap shot fell out of the card. Vin picked it up . It was a picture of  Chris kissing Kara at the door of her apartment.  "how did she take that?" he asked handing the picture back to Chris.

"I don't know. "Chris felt a heaviness descend upon him  as he read the card. His eyes clouded.

"What does it say?" Nathan asked.

Chris took a deep breath " I can't read all of it. First part says 'someday my love' the rest.." he handed the card to Ezra. "can you?" Ezra took the card and frowned.

"It's latin." he went on. "erunt duo en carne una."

"what the hell does it mean?"Buck asked impatiently.

"She 's saying Someday my love" Ezra looked up and met Chris' gaze apologetically. "the two shall be as one flesh."
 
 

                                                The End